IARNA went to ASPAN's 35th Annual Conference in Philadelphia last year!

Hosted by outgoing President Armi Holcomb, it all began with Component Night, a welcome to all - by all of the components making up Aspan's 5 regional boundaries.

The next morning the conference officially started with the opening ceremonies, including a very moving rendition of their National Anthem "The Star Spangled Banner". Keynote speaker Rich Bluni RN spoke about the Inspired Nurse, encouraging us to tell our story! Identifying ourselves proudly, remembering and sharing all the good stuff we nurses do. How often do we truly celebrate anaesthetic and recovery nurses in Ireland? Maybe we can do more of this! Stand up and be recognised IARNA members!

As the conference went on it became clear, no matter where we are, we all have the same issues in nursing and we are bound by the same values and core principles. We care and we are professional. There were over 100 poster presentations at the conference and a number were selected to present in Celebrating Successful Practices sessions. These sessions showed how nurses working together, inspired by those same values and principles, brought about effective change for their patients. Have you done something similar? Maybe you would like to present your poster at the upcoming IARNA conference on October 1st. Keep an eye on the website for deadlines and updates!